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BVNA Awards winners revealed
The three winners: Christine Robinson (left), Bethany Scott (centre), and Courtney Scales (right).

This is Us 2020 event recognises excellence in the profession

The three winners of this year’s BVNA Awards were announced during a virtual awards evening held as part of the association’s This is Us 2020 event, which celebrates excellence within the profession.

The awards evening was livestreamed on Saturday 10 October via the BVNA’s Facebook page, and directly to delegates through Zoom.

The evening began with a keynote speech from Dr Jane Goodhall DBE, before Jo Oakden, BVNA’s junior vice president, announced the award winners.

The BVNA award winners are:

  • St Francis Award – for a nurse who has gone above and beyond for their team, their patients, and the profession as a whole over the past year. Awarded to Christine Robinson.
  • Help in the Community Award – for a nurse who has gone the extra mile to help animal owners and their clinical teams during the COVID-19 pandemic. Awarded to Bethany Scott.
  • VNJ Writer of the Year Award - for the author of an article written in VNJ which has inspired positive change, discussion or has improved clinical standards in practice. Awarded to Courtney Scales.

Mrs Oakden says: ““It was fantastic to see all the worthy nominees and finalists for our new BVNA awards and Hills and Blue Cross awards.

“The high standards, dedication and resilience of our profession was demonstrated with all of our nominees and winners of the awards, showing they can adapt and overcome to be champions in our profession to help educate and inspire those within and outside of our profession.

“It was a huge honour to be able to present these awards and still keep the celebratory feel in these unusual times. A huge congratulations to all our winners.”

Images (c) BVNA.

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Equine Disease Surveillance report released for Q4 2025

News Story 1
 The latest Equine Disease Surveillance report has been released, with details on equine disease from Q4 of 2025.

The report, produced by Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance, includes advice on rule changes for equine influenza vaccination.

Statistics and maps detail recent outbreaks of equine herpes virus, equine influenza, equine strangles and equine grass sickness. A series of laboratory reports provides data on virology, bacteriology, parasitology and toxicosis.

This issue also features a case study of orthoflavivus-associated neurological disease in a horse in the UK. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
NSA webinar explores sheep tailing and castration

The National Sheep Association (NSA) is to host a free webinar on the castration and tail docking of lambs.

The webinar, 'Understanding the tailing and castration consultation: A guide for sheep farmers', will be hosted online on Monday, 2 March 2026 at 7.30pm.

It comes during a government consultation into the methods used for these procedures. Farmers are encouraged to engage before the consultation period closes on Monday, 9 March 2026.

The webinar offers clear and actionable guidance to support farmers to contribute meaningfully to the consultation and prepare for potential changes.

On the panel will be former SVS president Kate Hovers, farmer and vet Ann Van Eetvelt and SRUC professor in Animal Health and Veterinary Sciences Cathy Dwyer. Each panel member will utilise their own specialism and expertise to evaluate risks and outcomes to sheep farming.

Find out more about the webinar on the NSA website.